Overall best Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination candidate with 372 score, Daniella Owoeye, tells GRACE EDEMA how her determination and personal study time contributed to her success
Could you tell us about yourself?
I am 16 years old and an alumna of EFVP Wisdom Spring Model School, Ota.
JAMB announced you on Tuesday as the overall best candidate with a UTME score of 372. How does it feel?
It feels very exciting. It’s a moment to be proud of, and I’m sure my parents and everyone around me are proud of me. When I saw the result, my joy knew no bounds—I didn’t even know how to express myself.
Were you expecting to emerge as the best?
Before I saw my result, I was hopeful of being among the top 10. I prayed, believed in God, and intensified my efforts. I prepared diligently, gave it my best, and trusted God for a great outcome. I’m very grateful for how it turned out.
What did you do differently to achieve 372 in the UTME?
First, I started my preparation as early as possible. I actually began preparing right after I graduated from secondary school. I had written UTME earlier, but due to some technical issues at my centre, my performance was affected. That experience pushed me to prepare even more intensely for the next UTME. Since then, I have been consistent and intentional with my studies.
I started preparing very early and made use of as many resources as I could. I used materials like JAMB Series Remix, past questions, and other topic-by-topic study guides.
I also used CBT apps such as Test Driller, 330, and MySchool. In addition, I joined daily online tutorials, which were very helpful. The tutors provided materials, conducted daily quizzes, and organised tests for us using Quizboots. They also held weekly mock examinations.
I was part of a WhatsApp study group where they shared a large number of questions daily—sometimes up to a hundred per subject, especially in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. This went on consistently. We started with Chemistry for about two months before moving to other subjects.
I also watched educational videos on YouTube and downloaded relevant PDFs. I used the JAMB syllabus as a guide to structure my preparation. Alongside all of this, I prayed and committed my efforts to God.
I remained consistent, took corrections seriously, and learnt from the experiences of past top scorers by studying their strategies and applying them to my routine. I also explored different reading techniques and used those that worked best for me.
